When Friendly Dogs Become Threats

Every dog owner may hold the belief that his or her dog is the greatest and the friendliest dog anyone can have; however, to assume that all other dogs are equally friendly simply because their dog is, is a grave misassumption.

Dog owners are fully responsible for the care and health of their pets. This includes making sure that their dogs get their daily dose of exercise, besides giving these the right food on timely intervals. Dog exercise, according to dog experts, should be a part of a dog’s regular activities. Being energetic animals, a dog’s unspent energy can be directed to destructive chewing, constant scratching on the wall, door or floor, knocking furniture over, whining, digging, jumping up on people, play biting or rough play. Though a sad fact, but many owners are late to realize that unused energy can make their pets injurious, even to them and, most especially, to their children.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the yearly count of dog bites that require medical attention reach up to 885,000; an average of 368,000 victims are rushed to hospital emergency departments every year, while in 2012 specifically, more than 27,000 dog-bitten people required and underwent reconstructive surgery.

The webpage of DogsBite.org., meanwhile, states that in 2013, there had been 32 dog attacks all of which resulted in death: 18 of the victims were children, the other 14 were adults. The number of fatal dog attacks jumped to 42 in 2014, with 19 children as victims, 1 was a teen, while the remaining 22 were adults.

It is no doubt that dogs are fun and loving animals, but these too can turn against anyone if threatened or if their energy is kept unspent. To keep people from being bitten or attacked by dogs, especially in public places, such as parks and woods trails, US states have enacted their specific laws which will keep dogs restrained and kept from injuring anyone.

Michigan and Pennsylvania, for instance, have the leash law, which mandates that dogs should be on a leash, especially in places like schools, parks, beaches, and protected natural areas. Other states simply outlaw loose dogs of dogs at large. Denver, Colorado, however, has even gone to the point of banning a specific breed of dog, the pit bull, due to the devastating cases of attacks reported of this breed. Other cities have adopted laws similar to that or Colorado’s, mandating strict regulation on the ownership of pit bulls.

Many dog owners still definitely need to know how to take proper care of their dogs and how to keep these from being a threat to anyone, despite their claims that their pets are very friendly. Likewise, there are a number of important things that dog bite and dog attack victims need to know, such as their legal right and options and possible right to compensation.